The first NMR spectrum was recorded by Felix Bloch and his colleagues at Stanford University. In 1946, Bloch successfully recorded the first nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrum using a machine he and his team had constructed. This achievement marked a crucial step in the development of NMR spectroscopy, which has since become an essential tool in various scientific fields.
Felix Bloch's work on NMR spectroscopy, along with Edward
Mills Purcell's independent contributions at Harvard University, led to their
joint recognition with the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1952 for their independent
discoveries of nuclear magnetic resonance. Their work laid the foundation for
the understanding and application of NMR principles, which have since
revolutionized scientific research, including chemistry, physics, biology, and
medicine.